This Tiny Brewery Is Setting a Big Example for Success

As some of our favorite breweries have shuttered (or will be closing soon, like Call to Arms, one of the best spots for beer in the city), one has a new life under new owners who took the reins at the end of June.

Alley Brews, formerly Berkeley Alley, and originally De Steeg, has transformed from a sleepy brewery to a bustling, multi-faceted space. New owners and longtime friends Liz Hess and Chelsea Rhoads have done a lot in just a few months, and the duo, who run the popular podcast Body by Beer, are determined to make the space more appealing to a wider range of people.

What We Saw

Since opening just four months ago, Hess and Rhodes have managed to brighten up the taproom, overhaul the beer menu and expand the non-beer offerings.

“We’re putting a lot of love into this place,” says Rhoads. “We’re trying to keep it fresh and up to date and just kind of a different vibe than a bar in an alley.” Rhoads describes the goal as a European-style cafe, reminiscent of the ones she visited in cities like Rome.

One of the primary goals was to make the space more welcoming, especially for women. To that end, they’ve brightened up the walls and added more lighting.

De Steeg and Berkeley Alley were both known for making high alcohol beers. While Alley Brews will have some higher ABV options, including classics like the French saison, it will have more varied offerings. “We’re trying to keep a good, balanced menu,” says Rhoads.

Alley Brews just got its brewpub license, too, allowing for the sale of cocktails as well as food. There’s a margarita on draft now, with an Old Fashioned and Negroni in the works. Putting cocktails on draft allows the bar to move at a quick pace – it’s often run by a single bartender — while still offering quality options for non-beer drinkers. “We don’t necessarily have to be the cocktail place on Tennyson,” says Rhoads. “That’s not our goal. There are great places like My Boy Tony and Hey Kiddo. We just want to offer these at a good quality.”

On top of the cocktails, gluten-free beers and non-alcoholic drinks are being built out. “We had different groups on Sunday, and everyone was drinking N/A beer,” says Rhoads. “There isn’t a stigma around it; everyone is really comfortable with it,” she says. Alley Brews has an upcoming collaboration planned with Ceria Brewing’s Keith Villa as well.

The brewery is also expanding into coffee service. It opens at 11 a.m. now, but it plans to roll that back to 9 a.m. and include fun offerings like cold foam flights, matcha tea flights and breakfast burritos.

A partnership with Hesher BBQ will add pretzel bites, queso, sliders with smoked jackfruit, pulled pork and brisket, as well as a barbecue ramen dish. The mini pizzas on the current menu will stay – they’ve been popular. “We can do some fun happy hour stuff with them,” says Rhoads. Two mini circle pizzas and a beer can be had for as little as $12.

What Surprised Us

The quality of the beer.

The new non-beer options with a wider appeal are fantastic – they should help draw mixed groups and non-beer drinkers. But as a brewery with a long history of making its own beer, many patrons would be let down if the beer wasn’t up to snuff. Thankfully, the beer is delightful.

We sampled Pucker Nuts, a bright, tart ale with a mid-palate sweetness that finishes dry. At only 3.3 percent, it packs plenty of flavor.

Alley Brews doesn’t yet have a pale lager (there’s a Czech Pils in the fermenter), so when a customer asks for one, the brewery pushes them towards Golden Hour, a 5.2 percent cream ale. It’s light and soft, showing just a touch of malt flavor towards the finish. 

We also tried Poka Riot, an Oktoberfest marzen, a collaboration with the brewery’s friend, Stephen Monahan, and his brewery, Monolith Brewing. These are notoriously difficult beers to make, and U.S. craft versions tend to be far sweeter than their German counterparts. Luckily, the version at Alley Brews is malty but dry and drinkable.

The brewery’s hazy IPA, Sun Drip, is tropical, moderately bitter, yet smooth and flavorful. At 6.5 percent ABV, it plays in the sweet spot between a session and a double IPA. For those who want more, there’s an 11.3 percent triple IPA on tap now, too.

With such a wide range of beers, personal preference will play a large part in which beer you like the most. For the record, our favorite is Black Dog, a dry Irish-style stout, served on a nitro tap. Roasted coffee and chocolate play well off one another in this 5.1percent beer. It finishes dry, making it the perfect pint, packed with flavor but without a lingering sweetness. Think fresh Guinness Extra Stout. 

What Hess and Rhoads have accomplished in the space and offerings in such a short period is impressive. When you add delicious beers on top of that, Alley Brews becomes a tucked-away gem that’s shining brighter than ever while setting an example of how diversification can lead to success.

Alley Brews is located at 4342 Tennyson Street and is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with plans to open at 9 a.m. in the future. For more information, visit alleybrews.com.